Writing + Resources + Inspiration

Category: Writing Challenge

Hey writers! How is NaNoWriMo going for you so far? We’re coming up on 7 days tomorrow, which should put us all at the 11K mark (!!!). Does anyone else feel like it’s going so fast?

The first week was a mix of emotions for me. I was excited, tired, frustrated, doubting, etc. Now, I feel like I’m in the groove, and I’m not being so hard on myself. I’m inspired to write at strange times (I wrote 2,000 words at 1:30 a.m. last night) so I’m trying to work with what “feels” right. Still, I do try to give myself a few uninterrupted hours during the day.

Music is helping immensely. (Here’s my playlist.) I’ve also been making character moodboards while I’m at the gym (Pinterest is a good elliptical activity!) and having visualizations of who my characters are is also very useful.

When I’m stuck, I always go back to: what is the mood I’m trying to capture with this story? How can I evoke that atmosphere through what my characters are seeing and doing?

If you want to connect on NaNoWriMo, my username is AshleyWarrenResearch. Happy writing!

I registered for this year’s National Novel Writing Month and I’m so excited! My novel is (tentatively) titled Daughters of Fortuna, and I’ll be blogging about my project throughout the month of November.

Daughters of Fortuna is a gender-swapped retelling of Master & Commander with a twist of the supernatural. I’ve been a huge fan of the Master & Commander series since high school, and I frequently daydream about sea-faring adventures featuring badass women — and there’s not enough of them, frankly, so I’m throwing my own story in the ring. Although it’s a “retelling,” I’m using that term pretty loosely, because the plot varies pretty wildly from the original story.

I always start a writing project with a moodboard; it helps me get into the “vibe” of the story, and it gives me inspiration when I start to feel frustrated by it. I have to say I’m looking forward to getting started. I’m taking a different approach to my book this year. The book I wrote last year just kind of came about without a lot of prior planning, and while I am pleased with how it turned out, Daughters of Fortuna already has a much clearer outline and I hope that will aid me in completing it next month.

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Hello! I’m Ashley Warren

I’m a writer and researcher in Northern Nevada. I’ve spent most of my life writing, researching, and studying the literary arts. Here I share my own writing projects, tips, tools, and inspiration. Make a cup of coffee and peruse!

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